Don't Leave Me
by Erin Weasley
Summary: Alexis wasn't the only one to leave the mountain. This is a one-shot in Josh's point of view containing bits of the story that weren't fully explained in the first book, or weren't in it at all. Spoilers! If you have not read the first book, please do so before starting this short. I hope you enjoy! Please let me know what you think!
I barely even made it down the stairs, still holding her hand. She turned around just in time to watch the cabin explode. The pressure knocked us both down the stairs, face first onto the snow. My head pounded at the impact, but the only thing I was worried about was laying a few feet away from me. I looked at all of my former friends, standing, staring at the burning building. It was like our second home, and now it was gone. The crunch of feet in the snow broke through my thoughts and I barely saw the whirlwind of brown hair run back into the flames.

"Alexis!" I yelled after her, dizzily getting to my feet, nearly falling over again. My heartbeat quickened and I ran inside after her, trying to ignore the searing heat and smoke.

"Mike!" She shouted at the body barely visible through the roaring fire. I reached out as if I could somehow bring him back. _It should have been me._ I thought. _I got us into this mess, I should've been the one who got us out._ There was a loud crack above us and I pulled Alexis out of the way before the wooden support could hit her. One of the stray pieces landed into her leg. She cried out in pain.

"I've got you," I promised, "you're gonna be fine." A flicker of movement caught my eye. I could barely make out the figure standing a few feet away from us. The flames hid all of the wendigo's features. I blindly, but quickly, dragged Alexis through the maze of destruction, barely making it out the door before the entire ceiling collapsed. I could see the blood creating a trail in the white snow, her skin starting to match the paleness of the icy ground. Sam rushed to my side to help.

"Alexis?" she knelt down, her green eyes wide with terror.

"Please be okay," I begged, "You've gotta be okay."

"He's still in there," she coughed. "Someone needs to help him."

"I know," I whispered, "I tried." Her head tilted back, so I sat down and pulled her into my lap, slowly rocking back and forth. Her eyes started to flutter. "Stay with me." My tears created little splashes on her smoke covered cheek. "I c-can't lose you too, _please_ , just stay with me."

"Come one Lex," Sam's voice quivered and water leaked from her jade eyes as well. "Can we get some help over here?!" She yelled at the others. They were all just standing there, looking at us. They did nothing and she could've been…

"The sun," Lex sighed. I followed her gaze and looked at the sunrise, creating a red and orange glow over the mountain tops. "It's dawn." Her eyes closed slowly, sending a shooting pain through my heart.

"No, no, no, no, no!" I screamed, pulling her closer to my chest. "Please, please, please come back." I touched my forehead to hers, my shoulders shaking with rage. I was angry at the world for taking her, but mostly I was furious with myself for letting this happen. Everything was my fault and there was no denying it. Sam reached her hand out and touched Lex's neck.

"There's a pulse," she took me by the shoulders and made me look at her. "Josh, she's alive." The snow started to swirl and Sam's hair whipped around her face as the helicopter landed. People surrounded us and hands grabbed my arms, pulling me away from her. I shoved away.

"I'm not leaving her!" I yelled.

"Sir, calm down, we need you to get in the helicopter while we tend to your friend." The lady said calmly, her voice straining to be heard over the noise of the helicopter. They pushed me toward the machine.

"No! Let me go!' Their faces started to decay with blood and mold. "Stay away from me."

 _"Josh,"_ Hannah's voice sneered. _"Stay with us big brother. We miss you."_ She smiled sickly and looked down at Alexis, " _Who knows, maybe Lexi will join us instead."_

"Leave me alone!" I boomed, swinging my fist into the vision.

"Get him under control!" The lady commanded and I felt a small prick on my neck. My sight started to go black around the edges.

"Alexis! No, no please!" I gripped her hand one last time before my world went dark.

I'd always hated hospitals. The smell, the overly bright lights, but most of all I hated the people who worked there. They were always too nice and they would cover up what was really going on.

"Hello Joshua." Dr. Hill greeted from the door way.

"What do you want," I growled. "You already left."

"I assure you, I don't have the faintest idea what you mean." He looked at me, amused. At that moment I realized he was real, not a figment of my screwed to hell mind. "Now…" I kind of blocked everything he said out, not really caring. There was only one thing I cared about and I had no clue what happened to her.

"Where is she," I asked, interrupting whatever he was talking about.

"Ah yes, Miss Fields is in critical condition at the moment," his face went serious, but I could tell he didn't care whether she lived or died. That's just how he was. The world is either his patient or it wasn't. I stood up and rushed passed him. Instead of the empty hall I had been expecting, I was greeted by a man in a police uniform.

 _"This is it, they've come to lock you up like psychopath you are."_ The psycho's emotionless voice whispered in my ear.

"Mr. Washington?" An officer asked. I nodded nervously. "We need to ask you a few questions." He guided me into another room and motioned for me to sit down. "You are the owner of Blackwood Lodge, correct?"

"My parents are, yeah." I didn't want to seem so jittery, but I couldn't stop shaking.

"Is it true that you invited everyone back for a reunion after your sisters went missing?"

"Yes."

"And is correct that the reason you invited the back was for the gruesome prank your friend have described to me?" I looked down at my hands.

"Yes."

"Your friends told me that one of you were drinking and dropped the alcohol into the fire, causing the explosion. Is this also true?" I was about to correct him when I realized that they couldn't have told him what really happened.

"It was my fault," I admitted, "I was the one drinking and I caused the explosion." _I killed Mike_ , I added in my head.

"Well, unless anyone wants to press charges for assault, there's not much I can do about you besides advise that you take the medicine prescribed to you. Also, you will be having sessions with Dr. Hill twice a week." He asked more questions about some guy that he said was missing as well. I told him that I never saw anyone else. "Your friends told me that there was _something_ on the mountain with you. Is this true?"

"Do you believe them?"

"To me, it sounds like the twisted imagination of scared teenagers." He remarked blankly.

"Well…" I thought of what I could say that would make him understand, but there was nothing. "I guess you'll just have to go up there yourself."

"That's what Samantha said," he muttered, "You may go." I stood to leave. "But if I hear anything about you trying to pull what you did tonight again, I will have you locked in the asylum. Understand?"

"Yes sir." I left the room slowly at first, and then I broke into a sprint until I found the lobby.

"You," Isaac barked, pushing me against the wall. "What the hell is wrong with you, huh? I'm surprised they're not dragging you to the mental ward." He sneered.

"No one's pressed charges," Sam snapped. "Unless, of course, you would like to admit that he's the one that gave you that black eye." Isaac glared at me and backed away. Ashley stared at me with terror but quickly glanced away when she noticed that I was looking at her. Chris just watched me with sad eyes, wondering how his best friend could turn into what I'd become. To my surprise, Jess was rocking back and forth, muttering something along the lines of 'he came for me' over and over again. Matt had his arm draped around her shoulders protectively.

"I'm s-sorry," I whispered towards all of them.

"You know what Josh?" Sam sighed, "I don't know if I'll ever be able to fully forgive you for what happened tonight. But I'm sorry that I wasn't there like I should have been for you and-" She cut herself off.

"Where is she?" I asked, my voice hinting panic. She looked at the ground, "Sam. _Where is she?"_

"She's upstairs, third door to the left," Isaac muttered. "I need some coffee." He stormed towards the food court. I started up the stairs, but Sam grabbed my arm.

"Josh, wait." I could see the tears start to form in her green eyes. "The doctors said… oh god-"

"What is it?" My heart beat started to race. "What did they say?" Ashley let out a loud cry. Chris tried to calm her down.

"They don't know if Alexis will wake up. If she stays in this state… they said she'd have maybe a few more days at most."

"What?" I took a shaky breath. "No, no that's not- that's not possible. She has to be fine. I promised her she'd be okay."

"I know Josh, but she lost a lot of blood and there was so much smoke." Sam sniffed and rubbed her eyes.

"You're lying," I concluded. "You're lying! You have to be." I ran up the stairs taking them two at a time with Chris behind me. It wasn't long before I found the room Isaac had directed. I opened the door without a second thought.

"I'm really sorry, Josh," Chris said softly. The monitor beeped and her chest rose and fell weakly.

"No, no, no, no," I grabbed her hand but it was cold as death. "Please wake up. I need you." I leaned over and sobbed quietly into the blankets until, without really knowing what I was doing; I started to mutter the words to her favorite song just low enough for only her to hear. "I'm out on the edge and I'm screaming my name like a fool at the top of my lungs. Sometimes when I close my eyes I pretend I'm alright… but it's never enough." I stroked her slightly burnt brown hair. "Come back to me Alexis."

"Sir, you can't be in here," a nurse exclaimed from the door way.

"I just needed to see her," I sighed, standing up.

"I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to ask you to leave." She ushered Chris and I out and closed the door behind her.

"Josh…" Chris started, but I couldn't bear to see his bruised face. I pushed past him and made my way back to my room.

" _You killed her Josh_ ," Hannah gasped, but a sinister grin spread across her face. _"First me and Beth, your own sisters, then Mike, and now the one person you thought could still possibly care about you… is going to die. And it is all your fault_. _"_

"No. No!" I screamed.

" _You really screwed up this time big brother."_ She sneered. _"And for what? To spite them? Do you really think that Beth and I would have wanted this? Sure, maybe Emily deserves a good scare, but Chris? He wasn't even part of the prank, and now you'll lose him too. Do you really think any of them will ever forgive you after what you did?"_

"I'm sorry," I cried, sinking to the floor. "I just wanted them to know how you felt."

 _"How in the hell would you know how any of it felt? To be humiliated, to have to eat my twin sister to survive and turn into one of those things."_ I looked up and her face started to change into the creature.

"Leave me alone!" I searched frantically around the room until I found the pill bottle on the nightstand.

" _I thought you didn't need them,"_ she laughed, her face slowly changing back to human form. Her voice morphed into mine as she spoke my words. _"Revenge is the best medicine!"_ I turned around, no longer finding my little sister, but myself holding the Psycho mask stood in her place.

" _Tonight, we're going to need one volunteer,"_ He, or I, boomed. Alexis appeared next to him, her face wet with tears. _"Ah, I see that our lovely subject looks a little unsure."_ He grabbed her chin. _"Don't worry, I'm sure Josh will save you."_ He put a gun to her head and pulled the trigger, sending blood splattering into my face.

"No!" I wailed, trying to catch her body as she fell, but she just fell through my hands and disappeared into the ground. This wasn't supposed to happen, not to her. I stood up, finding a mirror in front of me. My reflection's cold, black eyes stared back at me as is slowly took of the mask. My face had transformed and my teeth had grown into fangs stained with blood.

" _This is what you have become!"_ It sneered. " _Alone. After all, who could love a monster like you?"_ The creature lunged out of the mirror, but I dodged before it could hit me. I looked back at the wall and realized that there was no mirror at all.

" _Psychopath!"_ The voices kept repeating, their shouts vibrating through my skull. A click at the door silenced them. At first, I thought it was just Chris, but when I turned to them, I nearly fell over.

"Alexis?" I gasped, thinking that she must be another hallucination. "Please don't yell at me anymore. They keep yelling at me."

"Josh," she breathed, pulling me towards her and placing her lips on mine.

* * *

"I honestly wasn't expecting to stand before all of you today." Alexis laughed nervously from the podium. After sitting through dozens of people say how much they miss Mike, everyone in the audience looked bored. Everyone except the ones who were there. Especially Jessica. Alexis took a deep breath before continuing. "I know that Mike maybe wasn't the perfect person. I should know, I dated him." The crowd chuckled. "But look around you. 'One man's life touches so many others'," I smirked at her reference to Mike's favorite movie: _It's a Wonderful Life_. "Now, that is not my quote, but it was the best thing I could think of." I was surprised to see that even Emily didn't roll her eyes. "Mike was my best friend… no, he was my brother and having him gone is hard to describe. It's like having this whole part of your life walk away and never come back." Her voice cracked.

"Come one Lex, keep it together." Sam muttered from next to me. My parents watched Alexis with sad eyes and my mother cried quietly.

"But I'm not h-here to make you listen to me blubber, so let me tell you a story." She plastered on a smile that I could tell was fake. "It was a week before I graduated and Mike had gone to a party to celebrate god knows what. My parents had just kicked me out of the house and I didn't know what to do or where to go and the first person I called to help me through it was Mike. He dropped whatever he was doing and literally _ran_ to my house. Luckily I only lived a few blocks away." She scoffed.

"I remember that," Chris whispered to Sam. "He got a phone call and we all watched him bolt down the street."

"He stayed with me all night and helped me pack my stuff, even letting me stay at his house until I could find a place to live." I watched a tear slip down her face, "I guess what I'm trying to say, is that even though Mike made mistakes, he protected his friends. And he's still protecting us even if we can't see him, or hear him, I know he's there."

* * *

"Your speech was really nice Lex," Sam rubbed Alexis' shoulder as we left the funeral.

"I wrote it all last night, to be honest." Lex responded with a shrug. I noticed someone striding towards us.

"Oh no," I muttered moving to the other side of Sam and Lex. Dr. Hill approached the three of us with a grin.

"Well you seem rather happy considering where we are." Alexis snapped. I admired her for being able to stand up to him.

"It is nice to see you too, Miss Fields." His smile never faltered.

"Don't. Call. Me. That." She growled. She's always hated when people called her by her last name. Probably has something to do with her parents.

"I just came over to check how dear Joshua is doing." He peaked at me around Sam.

"He's fine, now if you'll excuse us, we have places to be." Alexis laced her arm through mine and started dragging me to Sam's car. Sam said I shouldn't drive for a while because of the visions, but I think she just wanted to help in any way that she could. I climbed into the back seat as usual. She slammed the car door and turned on the radio, but didn't find any good songs, so she turned it off again.

"You're cute when you're mad," I smirked, trying to cheer her up. I knew that today was hard for her, and having Dr. McFreaky show up surely didn't help. I watched Chris wave at me before getting in his own car with Ashley. I felt bad about what I did to her, to both of them. Chris had somehow found away to forgive me, but I didn't think Ashley ever would. How could she? Sam got in after chatting with Matt for a moment and started driving.

"How can you stand that guy," Lex sighed, turning around in her seat.

"I don't know... he helps- in some weird way." I really didn't know why I kept going to Ocean View. I knew I needed help, but why couldn't I find a different doctor? I suppose that I was kind of afraid of Hill. Like if I left him, he would somehow track me down and expose me for what I really was: a psychopath. I guess I didn't really need his help with that. No one but Chris and Sam had tried to talk to me, but I never really minded. I had gotten a beloved member of our group killed, and I was supposed to expect them to forgive me. I could practically feel the accusing glares of my fellow classmates that were at the funeral. Not that I could blame them. Everyone knew that what happened on the mountain, to Alexis… to Mike, was my fault.

"Earth to Josh?" Sam questioned, probable worried that I was having another hallucination.

"I'm fine," I clarified with a sigh. I hadn't realized that the car had stopped moving.

"We'll see you later Sam." Alexis gave her a small hug before exiting the car. I ended up staying with Lex even after my parents got back from Europe. My mom was skeptical about the decision and so were the doctors, but eventually they thought it would be best. My dad just seemed to be happy to get rid of me. He never looked me in the eye after Hannah and Beth went missing. He knew that I had failed to protect them like a big brother should.

The trek up to the apartment had become so familiar, that I nearly forgot about the broken knob at the bottom of the staircase. I backtracked to secure the knob in its proper place. Alexis opened and entered the apartment without a word. I wanted to say something, I just wasn't really sure what, so I decided to go change out of my suit and tie. I managed to pull the shirt over my head before the sound of glass shattering echoed through the apartment. I ran out of the door to find Alexis standing in the kitchen, staring at the broken bowl at her feet.

"I-I didn't mean t-to drop it. I tripped and it slipped out of my fingers. Then he picked it up," she apologized, her lip quivering. I realized that she was talking about the lighter. Her hands trembled and tears streamed down her beautiful face. "I didn't m-mean for h-him to d-die." Her entire body started to shake violently and she sank to the floor. I ran over to her and pulled her into my lap, her head resting against my bare chest as she sobbed. There were no words I could say that would mean anything, so I slowly ran my fingers through her hair silently.

"It should have b-been m-me Josh," she whimpered. "Everything would have been fine if it was me!" I pushed her back so I could look into her deep brown eyes.

"How could you say that?" I wondered angrily. "Do you know what I would do without you? Because I don't!" She didn't respond. "Alexis, you are the only person I have left. You are my _everything._ " She still didn't seem to change her mind.

"Josh…" Her voice trailed off. I pulled her closer to me, resting my chin on her head. "What are we going to do?" She whispered.

"We are going to get through all of this. I don't know how… but we will. "I promised, through I wasn't sure myself. It felt like my world had fallen apart, and she was the only one keeping the pieces from floating off into the oblivion. "I love you Alexis."

"I love you." She responded quietly, looking up at me. As we sat there, holding each other, I could almost feel two more pairs of arms wrap around me.

"We love you too Josh." Hannah whispered, but I knew that it was just in my head.

 **Hey guys, it's been a while! I'm super excited to share this one- shot with you and I really hoped you enjoyed it. I hope some of you understand the** ** _It's a Wonderful Life_** **references, I thought that it was a very fitting movie since it's kind of about the butterfly effect. I do not own Until Dawn,** ** _It's a Wonderful Life_** **, or Echo (song by Jason Walker). I will hopefully be adding the first chapter of** ** _The Result of Chaos_** **, the next book in Alexis and Josh's story. Again, I hope you liked it and I hope to see you for the next story!**


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